CVE-2023-51497 in Commerce Ship to Multiple Addresses Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/14/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Woo WooCommerce Ship to Multiple Addresses.This issue affects WooCommerce Ship to Multiple Addresses: from n/a through 3.8.9.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2024
The CVE-2023-51497 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the WooCommerce Ship to Multiple Addresses plugin, which is widely used for managing multi-address shipping configurations in e-commerce environments. This vulnerability specifically impacts versions ranging from the initial release through 3.8.9, creating a significant security risk for online stores that rely on the plugin's functionality to handle customer shipping preferences across multiple destinations. The issue stems from insufficient access controls that allow unauthorized users to manipulate shipping address configurations and potentially access sensitive customer data.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to properly validate user permissions before executing shipping address modification operations within the WordPress WooCommerce ecosystem. When users interact with the plugin's administrative functions, the system does not adequately verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary authorization levels to perform specific actions. This authorization bypass enables attackers to exploit the system through various attack vectors including privilege escalation, data manipulation, and unauthorized access to customer shipping information. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through both authenticated and unauthenticated attack scenarios depending on the specific implementation details and available access points.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to encompass potential financial fraud and customer privacy violations within e-commerce environments. Attackers could manipulate shipping addresses to redirect orders to unauthorized recipients, create fraudulent shipping configurations, or access detailed customer delivery information that could be used for identity theft or targeted attacks. The consequences are particularly severe for businesses handling sensitive customer data, as the vulnerability could lead to compliance violations under data protection regulations such as gdpr and pci dss standards. Additionally, the compromise of shipping configurations could disrupt legitimate business operations and damage customer trust in the platform's security measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-51497 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the authorization bypass vulnerability, following the vendor's security advisory release. Organizations must implement comprehensive access control measures including role-based permissions, regular security audits of plugin configurations, and monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 related to valid accounts and credential access. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation, automated vulnerability scanning, and maintaining detailed logging of administrative activities to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of third-party plugins and adherence to secure coding practices can help prevent similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities in the broader WooCommerce ecosystem.